11 Ways to Change a Mind
by FlameTwirler
Summary: KakaSaku. How does one hardened shinobi transition to a point in life where he’s ready to accept change? Will consist of eleven shorts
1. Stunned

**A/N:** Be forewarned, probably abounding with corny-ness and WAFF. Just a cute idea that popped into my head and refused to be put aside.

I put the rating at 'T' just to be safe. It won't need it until the last chapter or two, if even then.

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_One:_ _Saved_

The first time Kakashi was ever saved by Sakura he was stunned.

They were part of a large team tracking down an enemy group that had managed to infiltrate the borders, setting up a base blockading all incoming trade.

As was typical, Naruto and Kakashi drew the most powerful opponents and readily took them on. Unfortunately, the opposing forces were comprised of renegades who held no respect for shinobi honor. While Kakashi was busy with one of the leaders they had snipers in the trees who threw their kunai and shuriken anytime it looked like he might land a strike.

It was a weak attempt, but enough to keep him occupied. During one such distraction a few lesser shinobi decided to attack from behind in conjunction with the snipers.

Just as they were set to launch themselves on Kakashi's back a loud crack wrenched the earth in front of them and they were slammed unconscious by a wall of rock that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Kakashi whirled about and followed the rent in the ground to where it began beneath a blue sandal of the Konoha uniform.

His droopy eyes widened at the sight of Sakura, eyes blazing with fury and not at all trying to conceal the look of mixed disgust and triumph on her face.

He was astounded. Had her foot been a mere millimeter off he'd have been swallowed by the gaping earth that gave way to provide the material for her impressively thick wall.

Upon seeing the three enemies were out for the count and wouldn't be any more bother during the battle Sakura gave a satisfied smirk and, with a short salute, turned and re-entered the fray.

Kakashi stared after her for a brief second before coming back to himself. After a mock shrug and a quirk in his lips, safely hidden behind his mask, he rejoined the fight as well with renewed effort.

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Original posting: 1/30/07  
Edited: 7/15/08

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	2. Surprised

_Two: Casual _

The first time Kakashi ever saw Sakura in civilian clothes he was surprised.

She looked so different walking down the street that he probably would have walked right past her without noticing had it not been for the shock of pink hair that all but screamed out at him.

It wasn't _what_ she wore that caught him so off guard; she was still in her traditional colors – black pants and a red tank top that he couldn't even blame for catching his attention by being too tight or low as it was cut quite conservatively. No, it was the fact that she appeared so…so…_not_ the shinobi he knew her as. Hell, she even had grocery bags hanging from both hands!

He knew she wouldn't be in her gear all the time, same as most other shinobi – with the exception of himself it seemed. Still, he'd never thought of her as anything otherwise and hadn't given any consideration to what she might do off duty, most certainly nothing so mundane as shopping.

Goodness but she almost looked approachable, like any other woman in Konoha on her way home from the market, the kind of person he might've stopped to talk with…well if he were the sort to do that kind of thing.

Instead he gave her the small eye crinkle that in Kakashi speak translated to "Hello, goodbye, and everything in between," then scanned back to his spot in his ever-present book before continuing to wander his way home, a slightly more rounded view of Sakura developing in his mind.


	3. Hesitant

_Three: Title _

The first time Sakura addressed him without the usual title he was hesitant.

Safe within the confines of the Konoha training grounds Kakashi had been working on developing a new jutsu. He'd already been prodigiously praised for creating the chidori, and between that and the sharingan he felt the niggling presence of a new force just begging for release. As such, he'd been experimenting with a new technique when it all literally blew up in his face.

He woke up with Sakura kneeling over him and he could feel the lingering effects of her chakra against his temple. The wry smile on her lips and the humor lacing her voice as she chided him "Are you alright now, Kakashi-_san_" let him know just what she thought of his…inventive move.

It must have been her playful mockery that finally alerted him to the fact that she had addressed him in another fashion aside from his being her sensei. Granted, he was a bit confused at the moment, what with the recent head injury and all, but now that he paused for a moment to think about it he thought he could recall that she hadn't addressed him as such for a while now. He'd just never really noticed.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of that. On the one hand he was delighted that she'd finally dropped the antiquated title. He hadn't been her teacher for years and they were now jounin of equal standing on the same team. Aside from that the two of them also worked continually with other shinobi, who of course viewed them as equal peers since she'd been out of his tutelage for some time and studied instead under the Hokage, and it could be quite awkward for her to address him as her sensei when he was no such thing in the eyes of those around them.

Neither could he deny that the title occasionally made him feel a bit older than was fair for someone of his age. There was no way he was really old enough to have been sensei to a woman her age…right?

Yet on the other hand he was a bit skeptical of the changes even such a minuscule alteration could bring. Did the switch indicate that she no longer respected him as someone above her? After all, she had just seen him ignite his own jutsu and do more damage to himself than he'd felt from any other enemy in a long time. As small as it was, he didn't think he could do with losing respect from someone he'd worked so closely with for so many years.

But then again it was Sakura. What was she if not devoted, right? More than anything maybe he just had to admit he was hesitant about the way their relationship may proceed from here on out. Before now it had always been simple and easy, a clean cut teacher-student relationship. He had a feeling things wouldn't be quite so clear from this point out.

Sitting up he brushed himself off and stared at her pointedly, all seriousness in contrast to the humor shining in her eyes. Apparently she found it quite amusing to finally see the famous Copy-Nin foiled so well, and by his own hand no less. He had no doubt that by the end of the night the story would be all over the town. He'd have been able to trust her to secrecy but there were still others present, so the point was moot. Glancing over his shoulder he took in the countenances of the other shinobi who were present to help him keep control during the dangers of jutsu experimentation and manipulation, their faces showing everything from shock to horror to amusement upon seeing him up and well. _Just like Sakura,_ he glowered.

He stood and turned his back to her, flooding his chakra through his system to get it running in a consistent manner again. It was good enough for typical training but not enough for him to continue in any experimental fashion that day.

Giving a weary sigh he began to make the hand gestures for his teleportation jutsu, pausing on the last sign. "Just Kakashi, Sakura," he said, back still turned, and with one final motion he was gone in a puff of smoke.

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**A/N:** Wow! Thanks for the reviews. I can't believe you guys like this that much, especially since so many of you reviewed both chapters! And here I was just trying to get this silly little idea out of my head just so it wouldn't bug me anymore. But you have seriously kept up my motivation to write this in a timely manner as opposed to how slowly I normally write (unfortunately). So Thanks!

Caitiy: Thanks for the detailed reviews. If you want, please point out to me the sentences in the first chapter you thought had 'weird verb tense' or whatever it was that made them seem odd. If I can I'll try to fix them but I also warn you that I do tend to write (and speak) in what is 'grammatically correct' but often quite odd ways of saying things. So we'll see. Hopefully nothing throws you off from here on out.

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Original posting: 2/1/07  
Edited: 7/15/08

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	4. Curious

_Four: Lunch_

The first time Sakura came over for lunch Kakashi was curious.

He'd felt her chakra approaching so he wasn't all that surprised when he opened the door and found her standing there. Pausing a moment to take in the newness of this particular situation he pointedly sent an interested glance at the takeout currently in her hand. The shy smile she sent him as she ducked her head slightly instantly made him suspicious.

Of course, after years of working and traveling together they knew each other's food preferences, so when she stepped past him into his apartment and began taking the contents of the bag out he noted with interest that the markings on the container were not familiar at all to him.

The earlier bid at shyness had fled and her mannerisms held much more confidence, and if he must guess – stubbornness, as she turned to face him squarely.

"I wanted us to try something new," she said, waving in such a vague manner he wasn't sure whether she was indicating the food or this new arrangement she was initiating by barging into his living quarters. "Never know what you're missing out on otherwise, right?"

Slowly he nodded, not quite sure where she was going with this, but seeing as she wasn't saying anything further he resigned himself to ponder it while they ate. He was sure, with a temperament like hers, if she wanted him to know then it'd be hard to _prevent_ her telling him, so there was no use in trying to pry information out. Especially not when there was hot – and _free_ – food on the table.

His suspicions, which had never really laid to rest since she'd knocked on the door, quickly rose to new heights when half way through the meal, which he'd been eating with his trademark lightning-fast bites, he found her eyes focused dazedly on his mouth.

Suddenly her gaze snapped up to his and she couldn't hide the mischievous gleam therein. "Why is it you always wear that mask, Kakashi?"

He glared at her for a bare second before averting his eye to his food and studiously ignoring her.

"Seems to me it'd be more of a hindrance than anything else. It can't be all that comfortable. Doesn't the material scratch your face? Isn't it itchy? Are you all red and raw under there?"

His lack of response didn't faze her in the least.

"What about when you have a cold? Did you have to learn a super-fast nose-blowing jutsu too?"

His eyebrow twitched in irritation and her lips curved in response.

"Now then, why do you cover it? That's the million dollar question, isn't it? And I'll have you know, though I'm sure you're no doubt aware already, that everyone in Konoha has at least one theory on it."

She proceeded to launch into a detailed list, that lasted far too long for Kakashi's liking, of the many abundant and far-fetched ideas people had regarding his personal tastes in clothing, most of which he did indeed know. A few, however, did catch him off guard and he was amazed at the imagination – or insanity – of the people those _particular_ speculations had come from. By the end of it he was thoroughly aggravated to know not only what people thought of him (and his apparently many discretionary habits that would require use of a mask on a regular basis) and that they talked about him so much in his absence, but also that Sakura not only heard all these hypotheses but also participated in the discussion.

"You know what I think though?" she asked him, noting the slight tension she saw in the muscles of his forearms. "I think you wear it to hide all the nosebleeds you get every time you read Icha Icha in public."

He couldn't take anymore; his ire had built too high.

"Sakura!" His voice was hardly louder than his normal speaking level but she knew for him it was as good as a tantrum.

She grinned impishly at him, pleased at being able to get under his skin enough to elicit any kind of provoked response. It would make this next bit so much sweeter.

"The point of all _that_ is I wanted to let you know that's not what _this_ is about." She swept her arm to again vaguely gesture at what could be the entire room.

He raised a mocking eyebrow letting her know he was far from believing her on that point.

Her cheeks suddenly reddened. "I backed out of the bet ages ago and paid my way out."

_The bet._ He was more than aware of what that was and needed no clarification. A stakes had been formed almost from the very beginning of Team 7's initiation with him regarding who among them could first see his face sans mask. He also knew that over the years the wagers had drastically risen and that the winner would be getting both a hefty chunk of change and also the revelry of watching the losers perform some _very_ embarrassing stunts.

He wondered whether Sakura's blush was due more to this or to her admission.

"What exactly did you have to pay in order to forgo involvement in the bet?" He smirked at her discomfiture.

"That's neither here nor there," she replied quickly, refusing to meet his eyes. His curiosity spiked but he allowed the question to lie. Everyone was allowed his or her secrets, of course.

"Anyhow, the whole point," she continued nervously, "was to tell you that I didn't have an ulterior motive for coming here. Like I said…'something new'."

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, contemplating. "Don't think this means I'll show you anyhow though." He resumed eating as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Knowing he was gauging her reacting in his peripheral vision Sakura feigned disappointment, which in truth she did feel just the slightest hint of, but it was far outweighed by the fact that had not said 'no' to this new sort of meeting between them. She tried but could not fight the delighted grin that spread across her face.

The next time she came over for lunch she noticed his normally bachelor-dirty apartment (not filthy but still needing to see a sponge) was measurably cleaner than the last time she'd seen it and couldn't help but wonder at the reason.

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Original posting: 2/2/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	5. Taken Aback

_Five: Peer _

The first time Sakura treated Kakashi strictly as a peer he was taken aback.

She was working in the hokage tower when he just happened to be strolling by, heading down the hall after reporting on a mission.

Sakura must have been researching a particular medical technique because her arms were full to brimming with massive texts. Still, she was reaching for another tome high on a shelf and in the process a scroll slipped from the bunch she'd already gathered.

Without even bothering to turn around she called, "Get that for me, will you?"

He could tell she was addressing him only by the fact that he couldn't sense any other chakra signals within easy hearing distance. Otherwise he never would've guessed she'd speak to him in such a manner.

Why, she'd talked to him as if he weren't older than her (and therefore deserving at least a _modicum_ of respect), not to say her old teacher, but instead was just a peer.

No greeting, no pleasantries, not even a real request – simply a command behind the veneer of a question. No "Would you be so kind as to do me a huge favor and pick that up for me sensei?"

All right, so they had dropped the 'sensei' bit a while ago, but still! She'd reacted to him like he was…_Naruto_…or one of her other boys, not the ever impressive and elusive Copy-Nin.

_Ah well,_ he surmised. _Every man must lose a bit of his mystery some day_.

So if she was going to be treating him on par with Naruto from now on did that mean she was going to try smashing her fist into him anytime he did something she didn't like (which would be quite often considering how annoyed she could get with that book of his)?

She'd be in for one hell of a surprise if she tried; while there were some formalities he was willing to forgo for the sake of companionship, getting hit by a kunoichi who used to be his student was not something he'd stand for and she'd learn the lesson one way or another.

But then again, Sakura always had been the smart one.

He paused in his walk to contemplate her back shortly. She was still stretching to get that out-of-reach text on the shelf and wasn't paying the slightest bit attention to him.

Without a word he grabbed the scroll off the floor and tossed in on top of the pile currently bundled in her left arm then continued his way down the hall.

Sakura never batted an eye.

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**A/N: **Thanks trombonista for input.

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Original posting: 2/5/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	6. Amused

_Six: Flirt_

The first time Sakura flirted with Kakashi he was amused.

It was a common known fact in the village that shinobi children grew up early. Some of that was just a side-effect from the lifestyle while another portion was because the job was always the first priority, anything else in life being necessary only if it could help on a mission.

Flirting was certainly no different and could actually be seen as a more essential component of any ninja's life. Any shinobi, and more importantly any kunoichi, would be expected to take advantage of a situation by any means necessary (especially in any mission that would specifically call for that particular type of…expertise). There would also often be times where a shinobi from leaf would be in a dangerous situation and the only way out would be through words. Those certain forms of persuasion came most in handy.

Not only that, but a shinobi life was hard. Sometimes it would seem almost too much, but that was why the shinobi didn't live separately from the village. Not only did they depend on the village for their day-to-day needs, but just seeing the normalcy of daily life that they helped to protect was all that kept some shinobi sane. Other than that there were friends, companions, a bit of levity to come home to.

So a little innocuous flirting went a long way toward lightening the mood at the end of a dark day.

And there she was, his 'little girl' (she got so mad when he called her that, which is of course why he said it all the more often) making innuendo with him as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

At this point in life someone Sakura's age would flirt, intentionally or not, with anyone of the opposite gender not considered too old or disfigured to engender such a response (i.e. disgust). Kakashi was greatly gratified to know he was not considered to be either one in her young mind.

Over the years he'd seen Sakura joking with her male counterparts and knew that what she was directing at him wasn't any attempt at a serious come on. He only had to see that she spoke in the same double entrendre with Naruto to see that – and the heavens only knew but there was nothing going to occur between those two.

So he'd take it for what it was meant to be – joking between friends. Besides, he mused, she was doing it so subtly and casually that she probably wasn't even aware of her actions. If he were to point it out to her or she became otherwise aware she'd probably be mortified.

Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. It might just make good for an embarrassing story to shut her up at some later point in the future.

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Original posting: 2/6/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	7. Shocked

_Seven: Singled out _

The first time Kakashi noticed that Sakura _didn't_ flirt with any of his peers he was shocked.

It was something that he'd never truly paid attention to before, but now that he did he was baffled by the conclusion.

She didn't flirt with Asuma or Gai, which wasn't surprising at all really (considering the former was unofficially spoken for and the other was, well, Gai), but neither did she flirt with Kotetsu or Izumo and the two of them were hardly ancient. Actually, it seemed she didn't joke around with anyone who was more than a year or two older than her – except for _himself_.

Of course Genma was the exception as always. It wasn't that Sakura actually flirted with the man, it was just that he could somehow find a way to take literally anything said to him as innuendo. A woman could be reciting her grocery list and he could concoct anything from assuming an invite to eat lunch to more … imaginative ways to use the purchased items.

More than once he'd had to shake his head as he watched Sakura sucker-punch the man into a far corner after he'd not taken her hint, then turned to watch amusedly as she'd made her way over to him.

Only recently had this started to disturb him. She would sit down next to him and talk like she hadn't just turned a high-ranking jounin into a blob of groaning agony slumped against the wall, pretending that the world was fine and dandy if he had to judge by the smile on her face.

It was the smile this last time that finally caught him up to speed. He desperately searched his memory for any reason she'd be reacting like this to him. Was there a new bet going on? Was she up for a promotion and needed a recommendation? Had she just burned his entire collection of Icha Icha? Did she kill Pakkun? …What did she _want_?

Only he was coming to discover, as she sat there contently twirling the ice in her drink with one finger, she wasn't covering for anything. There was no edginess about her, no furtive glances or nervous gestures.

It seemed she was sitting and talking with him _just_ to sit and talk with him.

He was at a loss for what this meant. For him to be so singled out amongst all the other males of his age…

Thinking back on it, he couldn't actually be sure that this was the first time he was given such preferential treatment. Had she ever flirted with Asuma and the others or had he just taken it for granted that she did? Of course he'd seen them speak, they were all jounin level shinobi of course and comrades of a sort. But that didn't mean…

He turned to look at her with a suspicious glance but she was nonplussed and kept right on chattering away.

What did this mean?

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Original posting: 2/7/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	8. Cranky

**A/N: **I can't believe you people, we've hit over 50 reviews for these little drabbles! Ya'll are crazy ;)

The rest of this fic is here on out dedicated to Caity just because she rocks. I'd say she rocks my socks off but…yeah, no socks…smelly dirty hippy that I am. XD

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_Eight: Absence_

The first time Sakura was gone for a long-term mission Kakashi was cranky.

She'd been assigned for a seven month jaunt that had now turned into nine and a half and they still weren't sure exactly when she would be back.

Not only was she out there without any of the remnants of team 7…

Not only was _he_ not there to work beside her and protect her if need be…

Not only was she being delayed for who knew what reasons…

Not only had the last communication from her been over two weeks ago…

Not only did they not know how much longer her mission would take…

But...but...he _missed_ her.

That did not sit well with a ninja who had practiced emotional distancing for all of his adult life.

The woman didn't even have the decency to be around for him to pin the blame to; at least then he would've been able to get angry at her, maybe take it out in a spar, or at the very least he could've pointedly ignored her to get the point across to all those watching that he was _not_ attached.

However, with her not being there he could only get mad at himself and mentally beat himself over the head as he tried to convince himself over and over that what felt like missing her was actually just indigestion. A continual indigestion...that just conveniently happened to have been plaguing him for the past few months…and refused to go away with the antacids prescribed to him by the medic nins even when they couldn't find anything physically wrong with his stomach…or intestinal tract…or well, _anything._

He was normally reticent and silent, a man-of-few-words type. Still, the fact had not gone unnoticed by his friends that he spoke even less than normal now and that when he did speak it was typically to snap at someone. Even his trademark glares at some of the more inane antics among those around him (namely Genma) had taken on more of a lethal quality.

However they learned quickly that one absolute way to incite his ire was to ask him about it and show concern about the way he was acting. That was sure to involve a quick kunai to the head and each of them had to face enough enemies that they didn't want to face it on the home front too.

Which was why when a certain pink haired kunoichi finally arrived home – four months later than expected – no one bothered to inquire as to why his rampant 'indigestion' had suddenly disappeared.

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Original posting: 2/8/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	9. Aghast

_Nine: Punch_

The first time his own body betrayed him (on Sakura's behalf) Kakashi was aghast.

Ever since she'd come back from that particular mission he'd been extra cautious around her. It wasn't _her_ that he was being careful about, but he'd noticed that while all the questions about his strange behavior during her absence had stopped, the always-inquisitive eyes of his 'friends' probed even deeper now at the interaction between the two.

It was only for that reason that he was forgoing his favorite way of dealing with such circumstances and was pointedly _not_ avoiding her. He was around her only as much as necessary, nothing more. Not enough to incite speculation, not little enough to arouse suspicion.

Now he was sitting at a cramped table in the bar, ignoring Genma's graphic depictions of his many conquests and current interests. Not the most scintillating or thought provoking of topics, but it provided a nice droning background. All he truly wanted was some peace; when left alone his thoughts had a distracting tendency to pester him, so the monotonous noise around him allowed him to sink into a numbing mindlessness.

That was, until the senbon-chomping idiot had the audacity to mention _her_.

It wasn't much of anything really, probably the most innocent comment the other had made all night, but it didn't matter. Before he had the chance to even notice what he was doing, let alone respond, his fist had buried itself in his unlucky friend's jaw and sent the man flying across the room.

The accompanying din then proceeding silence was deafening, but when the other patrons saw no fight forthcoming (and the two who were involved), they quickly turned back to what they had been doing.

"Shit, Kakashi," Genma muttered, slumping back against the wood behind him. He stretched his mouth until he heard a resounding crack then swiftly pressed his lips together and changed to tenderly stroking the abused jaw. "You just had to tell me."

"Tell you what?" he replied drolly, turning back to stare at his drink in denial. He sat there looking for all the world like a man with nothing more pressing on his mind than when to buy his next roll of toilet paper instead of a man who'd just punched a fellow jounin into the wall.

Idly, Kakashi wondered if he could start a new club; 'Denial-Lovers Anonymous' had a nice ring to it. Maybe they could all move in together, form a commune, and he'd finally be in a safe environment where no one would bother to question his actions and motives because he could in turn grill them about theirs.

Going to all the trouble of making something like that happen would surely _have_ to be easier than dealing with this…right?

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**A/N:** Thank you much to Caeria, Rashaka, and Caitiy for your input.

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Original posting: 2/9/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	10. Paralyzed

_Ten: Barrier Breached_

The first time Sakura kissed him Kakashi was paralyzed.

The two of them had been playing cat-and-mouse for weeks. They had moved beyond innocent flirting and each meeting between them was demarcated by increasingly pointed and graphic innuendo.

The tension had been building continually and he knew it was only a matter of time before it came to a head and there would be only two options: either they'd have to avoid each other completely or one of them would make a move. (He was disinclined to believe the latter would happen because the two involved _were_ he and Sakura. _He _wasn't about to do anything that foolhardy and he didn't think Sakura would have the gusto.)

He wasn't sure how to handle this, or if he even wanted to handle this, but their relationship had been set in motion by the fact that he wasn't enough of a coward to start ignoring her now. Not only had he already been through the whole argument with himself about how much gossip a move like that would stir up, but he knew it would be as much as admitting that the situation was getting to him.

And there was _no way_ that was happening.

Still, he had his safety zone. There was no touching; they both had their boundaries. Sure, there was the occasional ghosting of breath against the neck as one would lean in to whisper something it would be best for other ears not to overhear, but that was the extent. No actual physical contact was ever made, even in a friendly way or in a gesture of camaraderie.

He wasn't sure what he would do if that line was crossed.

He certainly didn't expect it the way it came.

There was no warning when she shoved him up against the wall and drove her mouth to his, mask and all. No shinobi in history had been able to surprise the famous Copy-Nin into paralysis, yet one little pink haired kunoichi succeeded where all others had failed.

He didn't move when her hands moved from his shoulders to his neck to pull at the back of his head. He didn't respond to the movements of her mouth against his. He didn't so much as sigh when she pulled his bottom lip between hers and bit it harshly.

She pulled back suddenly to regard him as if aware his complete stillness held more significance than it seemed, as if she could tell he was preventing himself from moving for fear of shattering.

His gaze didn't move from where it was fixed on the other end of the room; he couldn't bring himself to look her in the face. He was afraid to try deciphering the multitude of emotions swimming in her eyes, wary that he would see everything inside himself reflected back in that moment.

A puff of smoke of dark smoke marked her exit from the scene and it was a few moments before Kakashi allowed his hand to make its way up to his face. His mask was still wet from where their mouths had been joined.

He was grateful she'd left him to make some semblance of his fragmented thoughts. No matter what he did there was no going back now.

He wasn't sure he wanted to.

* * *

Original posting: 2/10/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


	11. Enthralled

**A/N:** Happy Valentine's Day! Figured this would be a fitting time to bring this story to a close. Yes, it's sad, but this here's the last piece in my little KakaSaku.

And let me reiterate to you once again that I am the queen of cheese - and the last line will likely make you groan :;:enter saucy wink of your choice here:;:

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_Eleven: Unobservant _

The first time in his life Kakashi was ever made completely unaware of his surroundings he was enthralled.

That one kiss had marked a change in their relationship that neither was able to ignore or reverse. Once the tension between them had found an outlet it was impossible to rebuilt the dam and prevent it from happening again, over and over.

Having a release now had the singular benefit that they were able to choose the time and place and so were able to cool it off around other people; no sense getting people even _more_ suspicious about things that weren't any of their business to begin with. In private however (typically meaning they somehow found themselves alone in a room or alleyway as they had as of yet to go out of their way to be alone) it was not uncommon to find one pinning the other against a wall in mimic of their initial moment of intimacy.

Their game of cat-and-mouse had turned into a full fledged war where the ammunition was themselves and the goal was to seduce each other in the most dangerous ways possible to see who would lose _her_ (or his) composure first (and of course concede all bragging rights to the other.)

He would appear in her office and kiss her senseless only to disappear in a puff of smoke seconds before someone else entered the room, leaving a thoroughly disoriented and flustered Sakura to explain why she was flushed red and breathing heavily – and was she sick?

She would retaliate by pressing herself nearly flush against his back when walking by him to get her seat for a meeting. It would have been more enjoyable had he been required to explain why he was quieter than usual and looking distinctly uncomfortable with all the leg-shifting, but those were the benefits he reaped through not only covering the majority of his facial features but also simply by his status as the infamously lazy Kakashi. Those around him had learned to not bother asking questions because they knew they wouldn't get answers. The only satisfaction he would give her, then, came when she saw the angry glint in his eye, a sign that she had truly gotten to him like few others had, and saw the promise of retribution smoldering therein.

The tension and frustration that mounted between them at their little 'battles' only made them all the more reckless when finding themselves alone in any manner regardless of the timing or place.

…Which was why it was no surprise that when they were walking down the street together late one night they suddenly found themselves in each other's arms.

Never in his life had Kakashi felt like he did at that moment. He was held in thrall at the feel of her naked lips on his. The many kisses they had shared had mostly been with his mask still on considering their love of daring situations and the possibility of people walking in on them at any moment. They had accomplished only a few without the confining material between them, and this only when they were absolutely certain they had a moment of true privacy. Of course, he'd had to make sure they had more than just a _few_ moments the first time this happened because Sakura needed time to not only cope with seeing his face but also the fact that he'd been the one to take that step and (finally) show her. The effort had resulted in one of their more…passionate interludes.

Now, however, as he pulled the annoying hindrance aside to pool down around his neck so he could meet flesh with naked flesh, he couldn't bring himself to care that they were in the middle of the street where anyone who cared could see him. He was too lost in the feel of her, the taste and texture of her, to notice anything else and he was completely oblivious to the fact that they were suddenly moving.

He didn't notice they were inside until his legs bumped up against the bed, tumbling them both onto it.

He didn't know they were in his apartment until he saw the familiar shuriken comforter jumbled beneath them.

He wasn't sure whether he'd led them both there on auto pilot or if he was the only one being so plagued by insanity and she, keeping her wits about her, had decided to bring them to his place instead of hers for whatever reason. Taking one look at her flushed face and heaving chest he was disinclined to believe the latter (or at least fervently prayed it wasn't true). Perhaps it had just been a joint effort…

Her hands on him stilled his mind and he gave up any attempt at coherent thought for the rest of the night.

The following morning he lazily looked down and contemplated the head resting on his chest and the mass of hair that was currently doing its best impression of a bird's nest – only to be expected after a night like theirs.

So, he decided, maybe the color pink didn't look too bad on him after all.

* * *

**A/N: **Quick Note on the Flow: In my mind the two would take an utterly long time to become what Kakashi would truly consider a close friend and not a close acquaintance. The level of trust needed from him for such an endeavor is mind-boggling - I dare say he'd consider hardly anyone a very personal friend and keeps his distance from even those shinobi regularly around him (take even Genma and Asuma - they probably just have an in because they know and possibly even lived through his past with him and so can weasel their way in). Once that trust was set though (on a personal and not professional level) it'd be terribly easy to fly right by the line of friendship into the next stage.

There are truly few women who Kakashi could consider in such a confidential light - the only ones around him that would even qualify for consideration would be Anko, Kurenai, Tsunade, and Sakura. Out of these I think only Sakura and Kurenai would be interested or a match for him in any way and with Kurenai being somewhat spoken for... Anyhow, I'm sure he'd have to pull from those already around him because he's one of those guys who has to be friends with someone for a long time first, and Sakura just happens to be in the best position for that to happen. You know, aside from the fact that they just rock together.

So that is my very long-winded explanation of why there were 9 chapters of buildup in friendship and confusion, 1 chapter of finding and crossing the line, then 1 chapter of flying right by said line.

* * *

Original posting: 2/14/07  
Edited: 7/15/08


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